2. Delilah
Chapter two
Delilah
Fifteen Years Later
“ O kay, Kimi, now what do we think about this?” I asked as I came out of my closet, holding a matching sweater and skirt set. Kimiko rolled her eyes as she took a seat on my bed.
“I think you should wear your school uniform. You know, the clothing they instruct us to wear on a daily basis?” she suggested, and I sighed.
“Kimi, do you know how basic I’ll look if I’m going back in a uniform? I need to make a good impression, and I can’t do it if I wear the same thing everyone else has to wear. Besides, what other colleges or universities require uniforms for adults?” I questioned, and she pondered for a moment as I folded up the sweater to put in the “maybe” pile of clothes.
“Aside from military colleges or universities in other parts of the world, I assume the only other option would be a school that requires the students to have inhuman intelligence, pay more than half a million dollars in tuition every year, and have identity issues after growing up in wealthy families that decided their futures for them.”
I gave her a look as she shrugged and spoke once again. “I wonder which one fits our situation.”
Deciding to ignore her, I continued to search through my closet once again.
Tomorrow was my first day back at Highland Bridge Academy, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement.
A few years ago, I graduated from the high school branch of Highland Bridge Academy and have attended the different branches of the school my entire life: elementary, middle school, and this year, university. It is one of the largest and hardest schools to get into.
Most of the students there also walk around with rich spoons up their... behinds. And instead of possibly using this time to clean my room and prepare, I was instead panicking with piles of clothes on the ground. No thanks to my “best friend.”
“You may think I’m overreacting. I say I’m underreacting.”
Kimiko sighed loudly and ran her hand over my Maltese dog’s white fur. “Your mommy is crazy, Marshmallow.”
I rolled my eyes at her and heard a gasp at the door of my room.
“Goodness me,” I heard Benjamin, my butler, say.
“Oh, Benny, stay, stay! I could really use your help.”
He looked around the room unimpressed. “Why am I not surprised?” he asked, and I ignored his sarcasm as Kimi spoke aloud.
“Delilah wants to wear something other than our school uniform tomorrow.”
“Well, that is something Delilah wants , but Delilah knows that the only thing she’ll be wearing is her school uniform, which costs her parents well over $5,000.”
I pouted as I sat on my vanity chair. “You guys are no fun...”
Benjamin spoke as he turned to leave. “And your room is a mess. Have it cleaned before dinner.”
My jaw dropped at his words, and I looked over to Kimi, only for her to raise her hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t look at me. You’re supposedly underreacting to all of this, remember?”
I narrowed my eyes at her as I grabbed a few hangers to fix the pile of clothes on the bed.
“You’re helping me clean,” I ordered, and she gave me a look.
“Like hell I am.”
I puffed in annoyance and spoke. “Now that we have my outfit ‘together,’ I still need to do something with my hair.”
“Don’t ask me,” Kimiko advised as she continued petting Marshmallow, and I nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. I need help from someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Ivory!” I called out my younger sister’s name as I looked past Kimi’s glare.
I didn’t want to admit it, but my twelve-year-old sister had a better sense of fashion than I had my entire life. Listening as she walked over, she stopped by the door.
“Yes, sister?”
“We go back to school tomorrow, and I need to do something with my hair. Suggestions?”
She nodded. “Well, we don’t want you looking too desperate, but we kind of do because we need to make a good impression. So I’m thinking half up, half down with ringlet curls and curled bangs to the left? Hmm?” she proposed, and I smiled as I blew her a kiss.
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“I know I am. I was already on my way to let you know that Mom needs to talk to you, too. She’s downstairs.”
I nodded, and she walked out of the room.
“You see, Kim-Kim? That was an example of a helpful sister. Take notes and cite your sources, too,” I advised, giggling, and she grabbed the empty water bottle on my bedside and threw it at me in a playful rage.
“Mom wants to see you, so get out of here,” she groaned, and I walked out of my room and went down the stairs to see my mother sitting at the kitchen table, feeding my younger twin brother and sister, Tyler and Trinity, who were both a year and a half old.
“Hello, Mother.”
She gazed over at me before putting the spoon in Tyler’s mouth. “Hello, Delilah. I hear your room is a mess.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Ben never fails to spread the word, does he now.”
She sighed, “Don’t worry. I couldn’t care less. I mean, look at me.” Only then did I notice the many baby food stains on her white shirt, her hair thrown up in a messy bun—and her leggings had all types of paint and markers from their little art and crafts session an hour ago. Her eyes were, like always, tired but filled with light, and the smile on her face was as genuine as can be.
“Yup, beautiful as always,” I remarked, and she rolled her eyes as she placed the other spoon in Trinity’s mouth.
“You know I actually did call you down here to speak to you.”
“What’s up?”
She placed a few Cheerios on the trays for the little ones to pick up and eat.
“Your godfather wants you to visit him… says he hasn’t seen you in a while.”
I tilted my head in confusion. “Are we talking about my real one, or as Uncle Blaine puts it, the one who ‘unrightfully’ claimed me?”
She pointed at me. “Bingo.”
I leaned back against the counter as I crossed my arms. “Why does he want to see me now?” I asked, and she sighed.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. The man is unpredictable and psychotic, but for some reason he wants you to come to visit him, and for the record, I think you should go. Your father has actually been enjoying himself lately, and I don’t really want Calvin trying to start anything, not now. I still have to cope with my sanity drifting away and getting filled with constant reminders Swiper shouldn’t swipe on the TV... So no pressure or anything, but go.”
I thought about it for a moment. It was true, my family’s arch-rival, Calvin, had made it his goal to torture my father relentlessly, and Killian Russel is notorious for losing his shit constantly.
With everything they’ve been through, it would take my father only one look at Calvin to completely lose it. Eventually, he’d taken an odd “liking” to me, as my mom had put it.
Whenever I would spend time with him, he would cause my father less stress, so we know who Mom used to send to talk to him when he tried to cause problems… and so far, over the years, it’s worked.
I nodded. “I’ll go. It’s been a while since I have.”
Mom beamed and hugged my waist as I approached her chair. I held her in my arms, and she sighed.
“Don’t get too close to him... you know how he is.” She spoke cautiously, and I hummed as I nodded my head. Aside from being our family’s tormentor, Calvin was also manipulative, conniving, and sneaky. I always had to take caution when with him.
“I know, Mommy,” I replied, and she laughed.
“You’re too old to be saying that.”
I pulled away and gave her a look. “Yeah, sure I am.” Turning away, I headed up the stairs to get ready, and she spoke.
“Clean your room, Delilah.”
Holding back my curses, I went up and reluctantly started to clean my room. After I was about seventy-five percent done, I got dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a pink cardigan sweater that, unfortunately, also wasn’t up to “school standards” or... just the uniform. Kissing my dog’s head, I left the rest of the cleaning to Kimi and left before she had a chance to protest. I pulled on my jacket and sneakers before going out and calling George, one of our family drivers. He came around in less than five minutes, and I got inside and told him my destination.
When we finally arrived, he opened the door for me to step out. Thanking him, I made my way over to Calvin’s home and rang the doorbell. The door opened and I was greeted by Pierce, Calvin’s butler.
A smile came across his face. “Delilah, such a pleasure to see you.”
“Likewise,” I replied, and I stepped in as he held the door open for me.
He directed me over to Calvin’s office and I knocked on the door as I opened it slowly.
Calvin looked up from his book and also smiled at me.
“Oh, Kitten, what a pleasant surprise,” he said as I came over to take a seat across from him.
Kitten. Ever since I was a child, that was the only name he addressed me by, and boy, did it piss off my father every time he heard it.
“Hi, Calvin,” I greeted, and he spoke.
“Two cups of tea and a side of scones. Thank you, Pierce.”
Pierce nodded his head, and Calvin looked back over to me.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, so much has happened. I hear you’re going back to attend the academy for your last few years or so.”
I nodded. Where he learned that information from will forever baffle me, but it was Calvin; he always knew something he wasn’t supposed to.
“I am. I’ve been a bit tired of working with Dad twenty-four seven.”
He chuckled. “I see Killian still hasn’t changed; still the same CEO who loses his temper all too quickly. Although I will say that ever since he met Brielle, he has certainly changed.”
Pierce walked back into the room and placed the tea on the coffee table. As he exited the room, I placed a few sugars in mine before I spoke.
“So, you called me to come to see you because…?”
Calvin tilted his head innocently. “What? Can I not invite you over for a simple chat?” he asked, and I shrugged. Sure, it could’ve been a small chat, but there was always a double meaning behind it.
“I suppose. You haven’t been giving my father any problems, now, have you?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“Not that I know of, no.”
“Let me rephrase: You haven’t been planning on giving my father any problems, have you?”
He chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. “You got me there, Kitten...” he said, and we heard footsteps walk past the room. Thinking it was Pierce, I didn’t look over to the open door, but Calvin did.
“Oh, Archer,” he said, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
The footsteps came back to the door and into the room.
“Father,” he said, and I couldn’t move in my seat. Unfortunately, along with being my godfather, my father’s enemy, and a manipulative, potential psychopath, Calvin Lockwood was Archer’s father.
Ever since I was a child, Archer has been my bully and my tormentor. He never made it clear if he hated me or not; it was just him manhandling me, forcing me to speak to him, and just staring at me with a distinct look in his eyes.
He was one of the reasons why I left the academy to focus on working in my father’s business during my last few years of high school. I only decided to go back because I heard from Calvin that Archer was occupied with his COO position in LCWD Co. for the last year and hasn’t been too involved with going to campus every day. I wanted to spend some time at school with Kimi, so I decided, why not? Since he still went to school, I expected to see him at least once, but not this soon.
“Tell me, son, how did the meeting go this afternoon with my executives?” Calvin asked.
Archer responded, “Pretty well. They’ve kept up with their supply and have all their accounts in check for this upcoming season.”
Calvin nodded. “Great. I wanted to make sure you were all up to date before your official return to the academy. I don’t want you to prioritize other things before finishing up all of your classes… wouldn’t you agree, Kitten?” he asked, looking over to me, and at that moment, I wanted the earth to swallow me whole. Playing with my sleeves, I felt Archer’s predatory gaze on me as I nodded my head silently.
Not only was he now going back to the academy to be there full-time, but I was also now going to be there, making the possibility of running into him multiply by a million. Just my luck. I looked over my shoulder at him briefly and saw him staring me down like he normally did. He took a glance towards his father and gazed back at me, emotionless.
Looking back over to Calvin, I grabbed my purse and stood up.
“All right, it looks to be getting late. I should get back home for dinner. Have a good night, Calvin… Archer,” I said, acknowledging his presence in the room.
He didn’t say anything as I left, releasing a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
Archer
“Why was she here?” I asked my father, who stood up and walked over to his desk as I stood in the middle of the floor.
He shrugged. “Should I have to invite someone over for a reason?”
“No, but from father to son, I know you like the back of my hand. Why else would she be here the second I returned to the city?”
“Coincidence?” Calvin said, but the look on his face said it was bullshit.
“You and I both know it isn’t.”
He smirked. “If I did have a reason, I could tell it to you, but I’d rather not.”
I turned away to head to my room but his voice stopped me.
“Your brother will be arriving back from Singapore in a few days.”
At the mention of my brother, I looked over to him.
“That’s fine,” I said in response, and with that, I left his office and went into my room.
My older brother and I didn’t get along. When I was seven, my father remarried, and I met my new stepmother, Vivienne, and my unknown biological half-brother, Stephan. Though I didn’t know Vivienne all too well, I grew to respect her, and our relationship was neutral. I tried to make an effort with Stephan to get closer after that huge shift in our lives, and I did... until I got a bit older, and once my father started talking about our soon-to-be positions in his company, Stephan immediately despised me.
In his mind, he thought my father would give me the higher position because I was with him my entire life and had a stronger “bond” with him than he. I tried with all of my might to get the idea out of his mind, but as the years went on, he only despised me more. When I was younger, it hurt, but now I look past the pain.
Sitting at my desk, I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Delilah. Why the hell was she here? My father was always spontaneous and known for being a two-faced asshole, so I knew that he wanted me to see her. Whenever I was around her I’ve always felt some sort of protectiveness take over me. I couldn’t let her out of my sight, and yet all she wanted to do was get away from me ever since we were younger. But I never let that happen, which ultimately could have intensified her fear of me...
Now that she was going back to the academy, I had no choice but to go as well. I previously took only a few classes, most of them from home, but now that I knew she was going, there was absolutely no chance I wouldn’t be there with her.